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Louisville forward guard Shoni Schimmel (23) high-fives Monique Reid, left, at the end of the first half of the Oklahoma City regional final in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, April 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

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‘Shoni Schimmel Is Shining Bright’: Game Day News You Can Use

ICTMN Staff

4/7/13

The hills and the Internet are alive with the sounds of all things Schimmel. The sisters from the Umatilla Reservation in Oregon are captivating the nation as they propel the Cardinals toward the 2013 NCAA national women’s basketball title. Smile. Score. Schimmel.

Tonight they'll face the Cal Golden Bears in a national semifinal matchup at 6:30 pm/ET (ESPN.com/watchespn for TV and livestreaming coverage). ICTMN will be in the Twitterverse during the game, with correspondent Vincent Schilling leading the discussion. Find it on Twitter @indiancountry, hashtag #SchimmelFinalFour.

Here's a quick round-up of news you can use from the World Wide Web.

Shoni Being Shoni

In a blog post last evening for espnW.com, Shoni rubs it in a bit, noting that she’s in New Orleans, and you’re not. “The atmosphere here in New Orleans is something else. If you aren’t down here already you need to because the real fun is about to begin. We are taking in every moment, but we are also focused on our goal. Only one more day until the games begin!” Read the whole post here.

Meet the Schimmel Sisters Again—for the First Time

ESPN has a nice, new biographical video on the sisters, titled, appropriately, “Schimmel Sisters.” The descip: “Meet the Schimmel sisters, Shoni and Jude, who help power Louisville to the Final Four.” Must see. Watch it here.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Sisters

Jessica Lantz of Swish Appeal has an interesting feature on the sisters and the following in Indian country that supports the dynamic duo. “Native American communities have rallied around the success that Jude and Shoni Schimmel have enjoyed during the Louisville Cardinals' run to the Final Four in the 2013 NCAA Tournament” Lantz notes. “For those that spoke with Swish Appeal - including Kansas Jayhawks star Angel Goodrich - the success of the sisters is about far more than basketball accomplishments.” Read it here.

Call a Doctor. Just not Dr Pepper

Michael Grant of the Courier-Journal gets the inside scoop on one of the reasons the Umatilla Thrilla’s performance has been even more sensational during the second half of this season and carrying into the tournament: “I drank a lot a lot of pop: Dr Pepper,” she said. “I stopped doing that. I made a New Year’s resolution. It helped me lose a lot of weight.” Read the full story here.

Geno Auriemma Needs a Map, While Shoni Demurs

In making a note to himself on his need to recruit Native players from the rez, UConn coach Geno Auriemma lets NPR know that he’s not quite sure how to get there: "I don't know if you got to take a helicopter in there [to the Umatilla Reservation] or whether you need guides or something to get in there, but I told [Cardinals coach] Jeff Walz this morning, I got to get a couple of those players [rez ballers, like the Schimmel sisters] for myself.” Meanwhile, as all the world calls Shoni’s move over Britteny Griner in the Sweet, Oh So Sweet Sixteen the play of the year, the Umatilla Thrilla is blasé: "I mean I just put the ball in the hoop. Nothing too special." For her, perhaps. Read the full NPR story here, with audio from the Morning Edition radio version also available.

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